Heterocyclic compounds formally derived from
arenes by replacement of one or more methine
(
–C=) and/or vinylene
(
–CH=CH–)
groups by trivalent or divalent heteroatoms, respectively, in such a way as to maintain
the continuous π-electron system characteristic of aromatic systems and a number of
out-of-plane π-electrons corresponding to the Hückel rule
(
);
an alternative term is
hetarenes.
Source:
PAC, 1995, 67, 1307
(Glossary of class names of organic compounds and reactivity intermediates based on
structure (IUPAC Recommendations 1995))
on page 1340